Eilat, Tel-Aviv - Day 13

This morning the weather looked absolutely gorgeous and my uncle asked if I wanted to go tanning. Having lost my voice completely by morning, I declined (the Silent post was written on Eilat - Day 12). So we set out back to Tel-Aviv right after breakfast, ahead of schedule. Too bad this gorgeous weather wasn't there for us yesterday. But oh well. I guess I'll have to come back. ;)

On the way back, we passed the same raw natural beauty, road signs I won't see at home, and the same Kosher McDonald's. Somehow I managed to nap most of the way back.

This was also the first day of Passover.
We don't celebrate with all the customs and traditions mainly because we don't know them. But we do have gefilte fish. And my great aunt made an awesomely delicious batch yet again. I know I have the recipe from the last time she visited us, but I didn't see her make it. All I know is that the process is very involved (several times she passes the fish meat through the meat grinder, and that's after picking out all the bones).

Eilat - Day 12

Breakfast was good, except there was no bread. Anywhere. It's Pesach, so I had to put butter and jam on matza. Hmm...... It was edible. Other things were good too, but I can't remember now.

The plan today was to go swimming and tanning. But the weather was less than cooperative. It drizzled again. So we went to the aquarium. It was really nice and I even saw some folks from the tour (there was an Eilat extension and some people bought it). The aquarium had all sorts of cute fish and there were quite a few visitors, but we came early in the morning so we got to see quite a bit before much of the crowd.
By the time we were finished here, it looked like the weather was turning around so we decided to go swimming after-all. So we went. It drizzled again, but stopped as soon as we got to the beach. Then, my uncle decided to go into the water. I just stuck a toe in to see if the water is warm. It wasn't. But he had his scuba suit on and wasn't as cold. I decided to sit on the shore and tan.
It was so windy the windsurfers were all out. I was afraid they'd reach the Jordan border (we could see the Jordanian flag from the beach quite clearly). Then, the older cousin who came with us decided she wanted to swim. So she went with her dad. She had a coat on but stuck her toes in. Quite a site.
By the time we finished this "swimming" adventure, we were ready for lunch. We went to an Argentinian-style restaurant (El Gaucho) and ordered steaks. Really yummy. As we were leaving we were approached by a guy offering a gift if we go into the jewelry store right next door. So we went in. And spent a lot of time there. A lot of time. They had a lot of unique and elegant things. I even found a few things I liked. No, I didn't buy anything. I have enough stuff I don't wear. Why buy more stuff I won't wear?

By this time the little cousin was really set on going to King's City. It's a place that's great for kids. Lots of little things to do, lots of illusions and activities and such. We spent probably 2 hours here. It was fun, but I think she had more fun than anyone.
And at this point, I was ready for the hotel and a hot shower. Not that it wasn't warm, but my back was killing me and I wanted to warm it up. The sun wasn't doing it, so I figured the water would.
Not only was I tired by the end of the day, but my throat was killing me. So far on this trip, it wasn't really a problem. I thought I had severe allergies because I kept sneezing all the time and thought that the sore throat I did have (a tiny bit) was as a result of these allergies. But this evening I also started to sound really really hoarse. I imagine I sounded like I went to 30 death-metal concerts and screamed at each of them.

Eilat - Day 11

Today (Monday) we're on our way to Eilat. The drive is about 4 hours, but closer to 5 or 6 if you make stops. I didn't think there's anywhere you can drive in this postage stamp country for 4 hours, but I was wrong. Here too, there's lots of road construction.

On the way, we passed Bedouin "settlements". I can't really call them houses because they looked like corrugated metal that's been attached with wire. I doubt the floor is anything more than the dirt on which this "structure" stands. We also saw a bit of a dust storm, shepherds tending their flock of sheep and goats, camels, and a few cows.

In one of our stops we got ice cream for the cousin (the 8-year-old) who came with us at a kosher McDonald's (see this post). Yes, they do exist. I have pictures to prove it (which I'll post at some future date).
Another stop we made was a lot closer to Eilat and this little place had camels and other animals that you could ride for a price, they had a bathroom you could use for a shekel (about 20 US cents), and a small cafe. The bathroom looked rather scary since it had those bars you see sometimes that go from floor to ceiling but rotate like a door. Our shekel didn't want to work, but the guy let me in. I was very pleasantly surprised at how clean and well-maintained it was. Though I did see an employee going to the bathroom with her own roll of toilet paper. That was very wise. The toilet paper was like regular paper, just on a roll and in the shape of toilet paper. No matter, it was clean, there was toilet paper, water to flush, and soap.

Driving through the desert and the mountains was absolutely amazing. We drove through the Negev desert (I think); our route was through Be'er Sheva and Dimona. People think that the desert is always dead, but there was so much life there. The camels, the Bedouins, the trees, the grasses, the birds, etc. The mountains were also a sight to behold. So many colors! You can see almost every color in the rainbow. The reds up against the tans which are up against the whites and oranges and ochres. So many amazing thing nature shaped with wind and water. Some of the areas looked like paws of some giant animal at rest, others looked like they were pillars, and yet others looked like layers of a cake. I took some pictures, but we'll see how they turn out. I doubt there's anything more than a blur, but I was taking them out of a moving car.

There were also some interesting road signs like camels crossing and shooting range on the right, and "sea level".

There was one place where people can pull off to the side of the road and take pictures and take a break. We stopped there too and I took some pictures. Too bad there were no places to stop to take pictures of the great views of the mountains.

After the third stop (with the bathroom) we had only about an hour to go. In the afternoons, when the fog clears and/or the dust storm you can see Jordan.

When we got to the hotel, we arrived a little earlier than their check-in time, but they had our rooms ready. My uncled dragged the luggage to the rooms and we to eat. I was a little confused when he started heading to the gas station, but there was a restaurant right behind it.

I don't think you need to even guess that I ordered shashliq. It was great. The plethora of little plates with stuff they bring was really yummy too. All sorts of eggplant dishes, and even a Russian salad (olivie). It was quite delicious.


After our lunch, I took a nap. I wasn't planning on a nap; I was watching TV. Next thing I know I hear a tap-tap-tap on the door and we decided to go check out the place. We went for a walk on the boardwalk and saw all sorts of souvenirs. These souvenirs were kinda crappy so I didn't get anything here. But the walk was nice.

It turns out that unusual weather followed me. It rained in Eilat. In the middle of the desert. Just my luck. I wanted to get warm, maybe even a slight tan so I don't blend in with the walls at work. No such luck. The little drizzle stopped quickly, but it was overcast.

We also went to IMAX and the show was in Hebrew. Something about the space station and astronauts from US and former USSR and how they live on their missions (or whatever their expeditions are called).

We returned to our hotel and had dinner. It was pretty good. By this time of the day, I was completely wiped out so I headed to my room for a shower and sleep. I was hoping that the next day would be sunny so I can warm up and maybe slightly tan.